Slipping Away
by limeorcoconut
Summary: A plane crashes into PPTH leaving the doctor's to fight for there lives. One by one they slip away, will any of them manage to escape?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own House Md **_

_**Chapter 1**_

Six residents occupied the space behind Wilson's desk as they waited uncomfortably in the dark for their friend/colleague to enter his office. They pushed and shoved at each other like children as they sat hunched closely together in an incredibly small space that under normal circumstance would never hold this many people. All of them sat wondering where House had suddenly come up with the crazy idea to surprise Wilson on his 43rd birthday. It wasn't normal for him to celebrate anything really, especially something as nonchalant as a 43rd birthday. Not wanting to disturb his recently absurd but none the less happy mood, they had agreed to join him in the crunched space they currently inhabited. Little had been said in the few minutes spent waiting for the oncologist but people were getting uncomfortable and starting to complain.  
"My legs are sore, can't we just stand behind the door or something instead of crouching down back here," Chase said clearly annoyed by the tingling feeling shooting through his legs indicating they were indeed asleep.

"You think standing behind a door would be less crowded?" House asked sarcastically and refocused his attention on the door that was scheduled to open at any minute.

"I think my legs might fall of if I stay in this position any longer," Foreman complained rubbing his thighs slightly.

"Oh shut up and stop your bitching. I have a bummed leg and you don't hear me complaining." Everyone looked around at each other before returning their gazes to House.

"You have your legs stretched out comfortably in front of you further crowding the rest of this in these cramped positions."

"Cameron," House said in a whiny voice, "I have a bummed leg, remember."

"The rest of us are gonna have bummed legs if we don't get to use them soon," Chase complained further. As Foreman opened his mouth to speak House held out his hand and sent a hushing noise through his lips. All eyes drifted towards the door as the door handle was turned and the door was pushed open. All at once everyone jumped from their positions yelling surprise as the figure walked through the door. To their surprise it wasn't Wilson but instead Heather.

"Heather, you do realize I sent you to obtain Wilson and bring him back here with you so we could all surprise him. Simple directions that I didn't think even you could screw up." House said clearly annoyed with his daughter who was still standing in the doorway. Taub made his way around the front of the desk and leaned on it as he waited to hear Heather's explanation. House had sent her to find Wilson nearly 25 minutes ago and she had failed to return with him. Taub waited impatiently for the conversation to continue, House and Heather arguing was always great entertainment, especially on a particularly slow day at the hospital.

"Well I went down to the ER to get him but as I was trying to get him up to his office, Cuddy made an unannounced appearance, putting an end to my little trek."

"What the hell does Cuddy have to do with anything?" House asked.

"Well apparently she had been searching for you and your team for the past twenty minutes. The ER is swamped due to some accident on the freeway that included 9 cars or something. Then she found out her head doctor in the ER," Heather turned her glance to Cameron as she said this, "was missing as well. Wilson and I listened to her bitch for 5 minutes about the sudden disappearance of her employees before sending me off to retrieve them. Afraid to piss her off further I came up here without Wilson." Heather was nearly out of breath after the quickly delivered explanation and turned her eyes to House waiting for his reply.

"You let her scare you? What the hell is wrong with you, she is a woman for God's sake." Heather raised her eyebrows slightly before replying.

"You are all supposed to get down to the ER right now before all hell breaks lose with Cuddy." Everyone except for House began to file through Wilson's open office door, disappointed by the fact that they had sat uncomfortably for nearly 25 minutes and not had an opportunity to surprise Wilson anyway.

"Are you coming?" Heather asked knowing his answer before hand but was slightly shocked at the words that came out of his mouth.

"Ya, ya I'm coming." Heather eyed him curiously as he limped around from behind the desk and brushed past her and out the door before hitting the elevator button numerous times with the end of his cane. Heather was not all surprised when they reached the main floor and House headed in the direction of Cuddy's office instead of the ER. Uninterested in the constant disputes between her parents Heather decided to make herself as useful as possible and headed towards the ER with the others.

Cuddy continued her paperwork as she heard her door swing open with a bang, not needing to look up to know who it was.

"You're needed in the ER House." Instead of heading to the ER as he was told, he sat in one of the chairs facing her desk and began to play with the toy bird on her desk absentmindedly. After about a minute without conversation Cuddy reached out her hand and placed it on top of House's indicating for him to stop playing with the bird. He leaned back in his chair, pulling a red lollipop from his pocket, ripping the plastic off and shoving it in his mouth.

"Was there something you needed?" Cuddy asked annoyed at the fact that he hadn't said a word since he entered her office.

"Not really, just trying to waste some time instead of heading to the ER."

"That doesn't sound like you," Cuddy deadpanned.

"Are you kidding, that sounds exactly like me. You should start paying a little more attention to your employees Cuddy; no one likes an unsocial boss." Cuddy rolled her eyes at the parody he had just employed of himself and continued to scrawl her name across the many forms that had found their way to her desk. Clearly bored at the nonexistent conversation, Cuddy stood from her desk abruptly and made her way through her office doors. House stood and followed her like a lost puppy as she made her way towards the ER.

"Well you're not much fun today. Well actually you're never really that much fun but today I think that drowning myself in a bucket would be more amusing then talking to you."

"You drowning yourself in a bucket would be amusing for all of us," Cuddy retorted as she made her way into the ER filled with havoc her clicking heels announcing her entrance. Stretchers containing people were still making their way through the entrance as doctors and nurses bustled around from patient to patient. House watched as Cuddy raised a hand to her head, massaging her temples instinctively. About to ask her if her headache was caused by a late night with another blind date, House was cut off by a loud rumbling coming from outside the building. Many people stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the open doors as people continued to make their way back and forth through it. House watched as people looked out the doors and fingers were pointed in the direction of the sky before everyone turned and ran into the building, screams escaping their lips. Without fully comprehending the situation, many of the doctors, nurses and patients began to exit the ER as well, through the doors opposite the one leading to outside. Curious of what people were running from House made his way towards the doors just to be reprehended by Cuddy who began to pull him in the opposite direction. He tried to tug his arm from her grip with little success.

"Cuddy let go of me!" House whined still trying to make his way towards the open door

"House we need to get out of here!" House glanced at Cuddy with a look that said 'why we don't even know what's going on.' Before Cuddy could answer a loud crash sounded above and the building began to shake violently. Smoke and screams filled the air as a plane hit the building straight on, leaving little time for escape.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading, this is my first fan fic. For those of you wondering who Heather is, she is House and Cuddy's daughter. I have started a fanfic where they discover she is their daughter but I am not yet sure if I want to publish it.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**_** I do not own House MD.**

_**Chapter 2**_

Both Cuddy and House held their hands above their heads as the building continued to shake and the lights flickered countless times before dying completely. As bits of debris fell from the ceiling House and Cuddy ran towards the exit of the ER doors, just wanting to get outside. Cuddy began to panic when they wouldn't open. Normally automatic doors were instead closed shut without the ability to open thanks to the power outage. Cuddy felt tears begin to fill her eyes as she banged on the door ferociously. Thinking more clearly than Cuddy, House turned and made his way towards the exit that everyone else had exited through mere seconds ago. Clearing his throat loudly so Cuddy would turn her attention to him he escaped through the doors and into the chaos of people trying to exit through the front of the building. Cuddy followed him quickly, not wishing to be crushed by the now large chunks of debris falling from overhead. House eyed his team, new and old, along with Wilson and Heather hanging around near the back of the crowd and limped over to them, Cuddy on his heels.

"The door is that way," House stated sarcastically to the doctors that stood unmoving before him.

"Pushing and shoving through the crowd isn't going to help anyone House," Thirteen stated.

"Just because you're dying doesn't mean the rest of us deserve the same fate." Thirteen looked away from House's gaze as Foreman cut in.

"House," was all he said, a low warning delivered clearly, asking him not to make the already awful situation worse. Of course being House he ignored Foreman's request completely.

"Seriously, if we don't make our way out of here before the building collapses, Thirteen won't be the only one rotting in her grave." This comment rendered a slap on the arm from Cuddy. House faked a whimper before turning his attention to the crowd that was slowly disappearing through the front doors. The building was roaring with screams and crying as it continued to shake, pieces of ceiling forever falling, nothing illuminating the usually bright halls of PPTH. Almost near the entrance now House heard Cameron who had been unusually quiet during the ordeal let out a sigh of relief. Only meters to go, House, felt his normally slow pace quicken with anticipation, nearing the exit when suddenly Thirteen let out a yelp and he noticed Cuddy disappear from his peripheral vision. House watched longingly as Taub disappeared through the doors but was unable to ignore the fact that something was wrong so House stopped dead in his tracks and turned to see what was holding everyone up. House drew in a breath at the sight in which his eyes met. Thirteen and Cameron were knelt over a profusely bleeding Foreman. A chunk of debris had obviously fallen and struck Foreman, knocking him to the ground.

"Foreman, stay with me," Thirteen pleaded as she watched him blink his eyes consistently attempting to keep them open. She felt the tears running down her face until they dripped off her nose and chin.

"Come on let's go!" House said annoyed at the fact they were being held up yet again.

"House," the warning this time escaping from Wilson's lips who was naturally all teary eyed at watching the pain everyone was enduring over the probable death of Foreman. Again unnerved at the chances of escape leaving them, House ignored Wilson's warning. "Come on people, the building isn't going to wait for us to get out before collapsing; this isn't a movie that ensures a happy ending!"

"Foreman you have to get up," Cameron begged as Thirteen and herself struggled to keep him conscious. The tiled floor around Foreman was quickly turning a deep shade of red; if the blow from the hit didn't kill him the blood loss certainly would. Thirteen ripped a strip from the sleeve of Foreman's dress shirt and pressed it against the deep cut that ran across the top of his head, hoping the pressure would at least slow the bleeding. He winced slightly at the sudden pressure that added to his already pounding head. Foreman watched through hazy eyes as, Cameron, who he was now willing to admit was more of a friend then a colleague and Thirteen, the woman of his dreams, his first shot at happiness in a long time, attempted to keep him awake. Tired from the loss of blood Foreman knew he was inhaling one of his last breaths. He struggled to keep his lids from closing, not wanting to give up so easily but he knew this was the end. His head was pounding, his breaths were sluggish and his body was growing weaker by the second. As he closed his eyes for the last time, he felt a small tear escape from beneath his lashes over the fact that his last memory was two of his closest friends, crying in pain because of him.

Thirteen watched as Foreman's eyes closed and prayed silently for them to open again. After several seconds she knew that she would never again lose herself in his eyes, never again would she wake up to them staring at her as she slept, he was gone. She began to sob as she threw her arms across his still body and cried into his chest, his shirt soaking up her tears.

Cameron was still kneeled next to Foreman and tears were running down her cheeks as she watched Thirteen grieve over the loss of Foreman. It reminded Cameron of when she had lost her husband years ago, she remembered the pain she had felt and her tears only came faster as she was reminded of how hard it was to lose a loved one.

A little shaken by the loss of one of his employee's House refused to show any sign of remorse, he had worked to hard to build up his current image. He turned on his heels and began to again limp towards the entrance. The lobby was now completely emptied of people beside Thirteen, Cameron, Chase, Wilson, Heather, Cuddy and himself. Once again determined to reach the entrance House was completely shocked when a loud explosion sounded from outside and sent those nearest to the entrance, (Wilson and himself) splurging backwards with full force, knocking over Cuddy and Chase along the way, and landing with a loud thud on the floor. Cameron's head jerked from Foreman's face towards the direction of the sound and she watched as fire coursed across the ground outside, engulfing the many people still wandering throughout the busy parking lot.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading and to those of you who reviewed  I have most of the story written, besides a few changes I want to make to a few of the chapters. I am definitely open to suggestions; if I can fit them in without changing the direction of the story too much then I will definitely try.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own House MD**

_**Chapter 3**_

Colours of red, orange, pink and yellow spread across the sky, leaving those unaware of the happenings in Princeton believing that a more beautiful night had never existed. The darkened corridors of PPTH now held only 7 lives instead of the normally hundreds of lives that occupied the halls. Flames shot through the air where the plane had hit, slowly descending towards the main level, seemingly determined to destroy the only lives that remained inside its walls.

7 residents sat crouched in the nurse's station of the main lobby. Chunks of debris were still falling haphazardly around them as they sat silently staring towards the front entrance. A crowd normally busy with conversation sat silently as the after effects of Foreman's recent death and the explosion outside weighed heavily on their minds, wondering when it would be safe to exit the hospital without endangering their already doomed lives. Tears filled the eyes of every inhabitant excluding one. Gregory House. His mind was no doubt processing the same information as everybody else's, but tears were something he rarely showed. He kept his gaze away from the familiar faces that surrounded him, afraid that their pain would add to his already throbbing pain. Never one to show his feelings, didn't mean that he didn't have any. His face was a mask that he had spent years building up to hide his feelings, and he would be dammed if he let them show now.

Thirteen sat motionless her gaze never leaving Foreman's lifeless from. She had had to be basically dragged away from Foreman's side into the safer confinements of the nurse's station where she now sat. Her arms hung lazily at her sides, her feet stretched out in front of her, body slouched carelessly against the desk, eyes glistening from the tears that still inhabited them. She couldn't believe that only a few short hours ago she had been sitting crunched behind Wilson's desk next to Foreman, not really listening to the people complaining about the cramped space but instead mulling over what she would wear to dinner with Foreman later on that night. Now that was all gone, her dinner plans, Foreman and probably sooner then later she would be too.

Wilson thrived on these types of situations. It wasn't that he enjoyed seeing people grieving over their loss, or enjoyed seeing others hurt, but he enjoyed helping them back onto their feet. He liked being needed. He looked around at the six people surrounding him, Cuddy grieving over the destruction of her hospital, Thirteen and Cameron grieving openly over the loss of Foreman, and he suspected that somewhere below the surface Heather, Chase and House were grieving too. Wilson set a protective hand on Cuddy's knee as if silently asking if she was okay, he smiled slightly when he saw her nod her head in return. He moved his gaze from Cuddy to everyone else noticing that every one of them wore a blank stare and he noted that their minds were probably millions of miles away. Wilson let out a sigh; he had a feeling he was going to be needed a lot over the next few days.

Chase sat staring out the front doors of the hospital his mind entranced by the flames that danced across the parking lot slowly dying down. The screams from the fire victims had finally quieted as the last of them had suffered their painful death. He felt Cameron's head fall onto his shoulder but didn't remove his gaze from the entrance. He knew that if Foreman had not been hit by the chunk of debris, everyone of them sitting in the nurse's station now would have been wandering through the parking lot, pushing through the crowd when the fire had erupted licking up those who had just escaped the hospital. Putting it simpler, they would all be dead. He felt a pang of guilt when he realized that he was actually relieved at the fact that Foreman had been killed because although Foreman had suffered he had saved the rest.

House suddenly noticed the smoke that was hovering throughout the lobby that had obviously gone unnoticed by the other residents. He turned his gaze towards the stairwell noticing the rapidly expanding fire that was racing towards them. House jumped to his feet as fast as one could with a bummed leg just as the building began to shake once again. Everyone turned their thoughts to House as they watched him curiously, but never made a move to stand.

"Fire." House stated nodding to the fire before exiting the nurse's station and again heading towards the main entrance. When he got the feeling no one was following him he turned towards them "I'm sorry, was I being too subtle? Unless you exit the building immediately you will all be nothing but a chalk outline on the floor." When his comment still received little movement from his audience he marched back into the nurse's station and began to wave his hands wildly in front of their faces. "Hello, am I the only one concerned by the fact that unless we leave now, we are all going to burn to death."

"What's your point?" Cameron asked. House scrunched his eyebrows up obviously confused by her question.

"My point is, were going to die unless you all get your asses in gear."

"Did you see what happened to everyone else who left House? They were destroyed by a raging fire the minute they exited through that door. We're doomed either way." Chase explained. Everyone seemed to nod their heads in agreement.

"Are you all serious? You'd rather sit in here and wait for the smoke to fill your lungs, suffocating you as you try to breath, making your last breaths painful instead of chancing stepping outside, into possible freedom?" When no one answered House became frustrated. "Seriously you guys. Quit moping and get up, before we all end up like Foreman over there." As if on cue the building trembled with more force then before and the entire ceiling seemed to be falling. Everyone jumped to their feet as if suddenly deciding House was right, there had to be something better then dying like this. Everyone rushed towards the doors except for Thirteen who stopped at Foreman's side.

"We can't leave him in here! He deserves better then this. We can't let him burn to nothing but a pile of ashes."

"Thirteen, let's go." House said impatiently.

Tears were streaming wildly down her face again. He watched impatiently as Thirteen struggled to move Foreman's dead weight towards the entrance. House looked over at Wilson and nodded at him in silent conversation. Wilson walked over to Thirteen, grabbed her wrist and tossed her over his shoulder easily, seeing no other way to get the young doctor to leave. She watched Foreman over Wilson's shoulder and swore she saw him move.

"He moved I saw him. Let me down Wilson he is still alive!" Thirteen shouted as she kicked her feet and hammered her fists against Wilson's back. "No, we have to go back," she shouted, as tears clouded her vision, and breathing became difficult due to the never ending sobs and the smoke filling her lungs. As Wilson stepped outside into the fading daylight, Thirteen wailed hysterically as her last view of Foreman was cut off by the closing of the front doors of PPTH.

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Author's note: Thanks again for reading and reviewing : )

Not too much excitement in this chapter but there will hopefully be a little more excitement in the next chapter.

Please Review : )


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer:**_** I do not own House MD.**

_**Chapter 4**_

House prepared himself for a sudden blasting or bomb explosion as he exited the hospital but nothing happened. Everyone stood motionless and silent outside the hospital besides the still wailing Thirteen as they stared at the sight before them. Small beams of sunlight shone through the heavy smoke glistening off the mostly burnt bodies that lay sprawled out across the parking lot. The back half of the aircraft had fallen to the ground; obviously the cause of the earlier explosion and what was left of it was still burning away steadily. The entire city seemed to be seeing the same fate as buildings everywhere were burning and many had already collapsed to the ground. Everyone looked around horror stricken due to the destroyed city and lives that lay before them. As the hospital began to shake violently and crumble behind them they dashed across the parking lot dodging as many of the bodies as they could, most of them holding a hand over their face as they tried to cover the smell. Once obtaining enough distance between themselves and the hospital everyone turned to watch the building they had once called work, known as a second home tumble to the ground. They held their arms up in front of their faces to protect themselves from the debris as it crashed to the ground and the dust that now rampaged through the air. Cuddy looked up when the dust began to settle and noticed that House had only made it part of the way and was now standing in front of the burning pile of rubbish, starring at one of the bodies sprawled out on the ground. Letting out a sigh Cuddy slowly made her way over to House as everyone else watched her amused. When she reached House's side and saw what he was looking at she let out a groan and turned her head into his chest to keep from seeing it. A crispy, nearly unrecognizable Taub laid across the tarmac along side the many others who thought they had made a narrow escape just to be cheated by death. His clothes were burnt into small strands of cloth. His body was covered in ash and flakes of burnt skin peeled off and fell to the ground around him. Cuddy turned her face away from House's chest before kneeling on the ground; eyes closed to keep any other images from entering her brain and began to vomit at the sight and smell of not only Taub but everyone else around her.

Cameron watched as Cuddy knelt on the ground next to House and began to vomit. She felt a twinge of jealousy when she saw House place a hand on Cuddy's shoulder, probably an attempt to comfort her. She had never seen House try to comfort anyone and started to make her way over to House and Cuddy to see what was going on. She watched as House held out a hand motioning for Cameron to stop. Cameron let out a sigh and stopped where she was standing, she was unsure of whether or not she listened to House because he was her old boss or if it was because she may still be slightly attracted to him; she hoped it was the former. Cameron watched silently as House pulled Cuddy to her feet while mumbling something in her ear, probably sarcastic. She waited impatiently as the pair made their way back over to the group of doctors and wished silently to herself that House would pay as much attention to her as he did to Cuddy. When House and Cuddy rejoined the group, House relayed the details about finding Taub and Cameron was immediately glad that House had stopped her before she had reached them.

Cuddy felt the tears stinging at the back of her eyes. Within such a short time she had lost her hospital, Foreman, Taub and the many other employees and patients that now littered the parking lot. The smell of burnt flesh was so strong she could taste it in her mouth. She listened as House told the others about finding Taub and couldn't help but vomit again as the smell lingered in her nose and Taub's burned body lingered in her brain.

Hours Earlier…

Taub felt the floods of people pushing him from behind as he finally made it through the front doors of the hospital. He struggled to keep his balance but some how managed to trudge forward. He couldn't believe this was actually happening. He knew things like this happened everywhere, everyday but you never really expect it to happen to you. After crossing the better half of the parking lot Taub turned to notice his colleagues missing. He turned in circles searching frantically for them before making his way back towards the entrance, not once considering that turning back would be a fatal move. If Taub had thought moving was difficult before, going the opposite way of the flow was twice as hard. He pushed through the crowd mumbling apologies to those he shoved aside. He sighed in relief as the entrance came into clear view in front of him but before he made it to the doors a loud bang sounded over him. He shielded his eyes with his hands before looking up to where the sun should have been, instead finding fire crashing down over him pulling him to the ground. He screamed in agony as he rolled on the ground attempting to put out the flames with little success. Screams sounded around him and he held is breath to keep from inhaling the fresh scent of burning flesh. He turned his head to the side and noticed a young girl no older then six clinging to her teddy bear as she waited patiently for her body to be engulfed by the flames. She looked pale and weak already and Taub noticed that she was wearing a hospital gown. Taub's jaw dropped in awe as her body burned and she didn't even let out a whimper or a scream.

"How can you… be so calm?" Taub wondered aloud to the young girl trying to bite back his own screams. The girl looked at him pain present in her eyes but she just shrugged her shoulders to the best of her ability.

"It was this or cancer, this seemed like the faster way to go." Taub knew that tears would be running down his face if they weren't dried up instantly by the intense heat. He watched as the fire swallowed up the last bit of the girl before he screamed in agony one last time.

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Author's note: Thank you for reading and please review : )


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D.

_**Chapter 5**_

A blanket of stars sparkled across the now dark sky that seemed to be still brightly lit by the many flames that were burning throughout the city. House and the rest of the gang continued to trudge on towards the empty daycare centre now less than 20 meters away, walking as fast as they could with the limping House. House's mind was reeling with questions about what was happening, where the police were, did anyone know they had survived? Over the course of a couple hours the city seemed to be completely abandoned. Wilson sighed in relief when he turned the handle of the daycare door and it opened easily. Everyone piled into the cold dampness that would likely be their home for the next few days. They walked into what seemed to be the centre of the building, a meeting centre for all the classes that had once attended there, and collapsed onto the carpeted floor exhausted. Dust covered every available surface but that didn't bother the doctors, who were just happy to be safe for the time being. As everyone else curled up on the soft mats on the floor which had probably been used during nap times, House wandered over to the fridge and opened the door. It contained 2 bottles of water, a juice box, and an obviously expired yogurt. He turned to the 6 people resting behind him and then back to the contents in the fridge, survival with this few of supplies was going to be quite a problem. He grabbed one of the water bottles and shoved it into the depths of his coat pocket before shutting the door and selecting a mat for himself. This water was his, it was a dog eat dog world now, every man for himself.

Two days had passed and already the bottle of water and juice box had been drunk. Cameron sat against the wall as her stomach began to growl yet again and was followed in chorus by many of the rumbling stomachs around her. "We need to find food and water," Cameron mentioned for at least the third time in the past hour. Sounds of destruction could still be heard coming from outside the building, but as the days had passed the sounds had spread out from every 10 minutes to now about every two hours or so. "Well if you want to go outside and search the city, risk being killed, then be my guest. In fact don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out." House deadpanned. Cameron sighed in annoyance and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes to prevent her already throbbing headache from getting worse.

"I'll go look for food," Heather said as she stood from her mat and walked towards the door.

"You're not going anywhere, sit down," Cuddy ordered.

"Someone has to do it," Heather said before turning and exiting through the door against Cuddy's wishes.

"I'll go with her," Thirteen said as she stood and disappeared with Heather. Everyone gasped in amazement as Thirteen spoke, for those were the first words that had escaped her lips since leaving the hospital. Cuddy sighed in annoyance, but was too tired to stop Heather from leaving, so instead rested her head back onto the mat and closed her eyes wishing for sleep to overtake her.

"I'm surprised you came with," Heather said attempting at conversation as Thirteen and herself walked from classroom to classroom in search of food.

"Can't stay cooped up in that room forever," Thirteen explained as if that cleared up everything.  
"Hey I found a half a box of crackers," Heather stated as she placed one in her mouth before a look of disgust inhabited her face. "They're stale as hell though," she continued as she dropped another one into her mouth.

"Then why keep eating them?" Thirteen questioned.

"Got to eat something," Heather stated with a shrug. Thirteen accepted this answer and they continued their search in silence. When they came across the metal door that led to outside Thirteen stopped dead in her tracks and motioned her hand towards the handle about to push it open before it was ripped from the handle by some interfering force.

"Are you insane, you could be killed if you go out there," Heather hissed.

"We have to get food from somewhere; we can't live very long on stale crackers and expired yogurt. It's either starve to death or find food by chancing a look outside." With that she returned her hand to the handle, pushing it open easily with no interruptions from Heather this time. Heather watched nervously as Thirteen stepped across the threshold into the fresh air. She watched as Thirteen breathed in the freshness of the day, instantly jealous, Heather followed her into the cloudy day. The air smelled of fresh rain that had depleted the smell of burnt flesh considerably. They looked around for any sign of food or water, but most of the surrounding buildings had been destroyed. Turning back towards the building disappointed at their lack of findings Heather stepped aside allowing for Thirteen to enter the building first. Without realizing it Heather sidestepped into a newly formed puddle where a fallen hydro wire had landed sometime in the past few days. She felt her body jolt unexpectedly and her muscles contract before she fell to the ground and everything went black. Thirteen starred wide eyed unsure of what to do. Touching Heather would obviously illicit another electric shock, but she couldn't just leave her body in a puddle outside the daycare, could she? With no other option coming to mind, she called out to the other doctors remaining inside. "Help, Wilson, House! Need Help," Thirteen yelled towards the centre of the building. What was mere seconds seemed like hours passing before Wilson and Chase appeared in the hall followed closely behind by Cameron, Cuddy and House. Wilson knelt down immediately next to Heather's body now covered in burns, careful not to touch her or the surrounding area. Cuddy ran to the other side, tears running freely down her cheeks at the sight of her only daughter.

"What happened?" House asked clearly confused as to how Heather had been electrocuted.

"We stepped outside to look for food, we were only out here for a couple seconds and, and," Thirteen failed to continue her sentence as she was now crying too hard to get another word out of her mouth.

"Why the hell would you come outside, you knew it was dangerous." House was yelling now as he stared at Thirteen angrily. Thirteen wiped her tears away with her arm, replacing them with the dirt smudges that her shirt had accumulated over the past few days.

"House, leave her alone that's not important right now," Wilson said as he nodded towards a crying Cuddy. House ignored him and continued to berate Thirteen.

"Do you think that because you're dying that taking stupid risks doesn't matter. You figure everyone has to die sometime so why not make it now." House stepped towards Thirteen angrily as she stepped back keeping the distance between them.

"House please," Cuddy pleaded through sobs. House looked at her, his heart breaking and nodded before kneeling painfully beside Cuddy and his daughter. It was too late there was nothing they could do; even if Heather had somehow managed to survive it was impossible to remove her body from the puddle without killing someone else in the process.

Heather knew she was dead; there was no other justifiable reason as to how she should be able to be staring at her body while her family and friends kneeled around it. Her thoughts drifted to those who had died before her and wondering what was to come after she closed her eyes for that last time. As she closed her eyes to avoid the scene in front of her, the image was replaced by one of herself standing in front of golden gates, awaiting entrance into the kingdom of eternity. She smiled at the fact that she knew there was something after this, that she knew before House did. She wasn't sure whether it existed or if her mind was just forming pictures, but it provided her with some comfort. Her mind returned to the present time as she watched her parents, Wilson, and even the ducklings cry over her loss. She wished she could hug them one more time, tell them she loved them, but all of that was impossible now. She let her eyes close for the last time, with the comfort of knowing she was and always would be loved.

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A/N: I know I haven't updated in forever, I have been super busy with school. Thank you for reading and please review


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D.**_

**_Sorry this is a very short chapter I know... just wanted to update it. Hope you enjoy it :)_**

_**Chapter 6**_

Silence now enveloped the room as the remaining doctors sat in a daze. House's threatening eyes never left Thirteen as he continued to blame her for the loss of his daughter's life. Cuddy sat next to House sobbing silently into his chest as she clung to his t-shirt, dampening it with her tears. Thirteen could feel the tears falling down her own cheeks as if her eyes were ice cubes slowly melting away.

"Why… I just don't get why? You knew the dangers and yet…" Cuddy shushed House before he could finish his sentence. She wasn't exactly sure if he was criticizing Heather or Thirteen, but she knew either action was pointless. "How can you shush me Cuddy? She was our daughter, she was all we had, and now she is gone because someone was tired of being inside. Our baby is gone." House's eyes were now rimmed with tears, but Cuddy knew he would never let them fall. He hated to show his feelings, but at a time like this who could contain them.

Thirteen watched from across the room as one of the strongest women she knew battled with tears and as a man who never let his softer side show was breaking down in his own quiet way. It was all her fault, she had broken down the barriers that those two people had spent years building. She sighed inwardly as she stood and made her way towards the door. Cameron looked at her curiously as Thirteen said a short "bathroom" and shrugged as she walked out of the room hurriedly. She felt her hand move up to her cheek as she brushed away her salty tears. She wandered silently towards the metal door at the end of the hallway her eyes shifting around the darkened hall before stepping outside, letting her eyes fall to the lifeless figure on the ground. She knelt down beside the place where Heather lay after much struggling by Wilson to tear House and Cuddy away. Her tears were falling much faster now as she began to talk to the body strewn on the concrete ground in front of her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Thirteen felt she was saying her words not just to Heather but to Foreman as well as she had failed to save them both. Her hands were trembling now reminding her of the disease that was meant to spread through her body deteriorating her body slowly until she was no longer able to control her own actions. She thought of Foreman, the man she loved, deserted on the hospital floor, his blood staining the once white tiles and finally of Heather, the death she was some what responsible for. She had no one left to live for, guilt consumed her mind and she was going to die anyway, what better time than now. She stood and roamed back into the daycare and into a classroom. She wandered over to the dust covered toy box in the corner of the room and began to rummage through its contents. With little effort she found what she was looking for and made her way to the centre of the room. She grabbed a chair from one of the tables and set it underneath the ceiling fan before climbing onto it and tying the skipping rope she found in the toy box around it securely. She took the remaining end of the skipping rope and tied it around her neck snuggly. She closed her eyes as she thought about what she was about to do. Suicide in her mind was one of the most selfish actions a person could partake in. She thought back to Kutner's suicide, how much finding him had affected her and how much everyone had grieved over the loss. "Good thing there is no one left to miss me," she said aloud to herself before knocking the chair out from under her feet, the rope tightening around her neck as she drew in her final breath.

A/N: Please read and review :)


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D.**_

_**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this in forever. I have been super busy with school and work. Will update the next chapter much faster.**_

_**Please read and review… **_

**Chapter 7**

As Cuddy finally fell asleep in House's arms he unwrapped himself from her and began to wander around the daycare in search of Thirteen. She had left to use the bathroom nearly an hour ago and House couldn't let himself wonder where she had gotten to any longer. He limped slowly through the darkened hallways finding a classroom to which the door was slightly ajar. He peered through the crack almost afraid of what he might find but too curious to walk away without ever knowing. When his eyes met those of the figure hanging limp in the middle of the room he had to grab the door handle to keep himself from falling. Staring back at him were the pale green eyes of Thirteen. He reached his fingers to the side of her neck and felt the tears beagn to sting his eyes when he felt no sign of life. House could not believe Thirteen had deduced herself to this after she knew how much Kutner had affected them all. House suddenly felt a sharp pang of what he assumed was guilt for having let another one of his fellows end their life without him even seeing the warning signs. He wondered to himself if he should maybe say a few words or a prayer but realized that Thirteen wouldn't expect that from him so why bother. He let out a tired sigh before turning around and closing the door to her motionless face, thinking it would be best to put it all behind him.

When House conveyed the news to the remaining people the room fell silent. Yet another friend gone forever from their lives, another hole that could never be filled in the small world that was Princeton Plainsboro. Cameron turned her face into Chases shoulder, her silent tears soaking through his shirt. No words were shared among the five remaining people as they all sank deep into their own thoughts.

Cameron awoke from the deep slumber that had finally overcome her sometime during the night. Voices buzzed in her ears but she was still too asleep to comprehend what they were saying. They sounded so far away, so unfamiliar as she strained to listen to them her head cocked towards the doorway. Her eyes blinked open slowly to the pitch black that was clinging to her as she lifted herself to a sitting position. She could hear Chase snoring softly beside her and as her eyes adjusted she became aware of the three figures on the other side of her sleeping close together. She raised her arms above her head as she stretched and let out a yawn before rising to her feet. The voices that had awoken her could still be heard floating down the hallways, getting louder as they approached. Elated at the possibility that the voices were those of rescuers Cameron kneeled beside Chase before shaking him awake.

"Go away, I'm tired," Chase mumbled before turning onto his side without even opening his eyes.

"Chase there are people here, we could be rescued! Chase come on, get up." His attitude changed slightly at the word rescuers as he turned to look at her although unable to make out anything but her outline due to the darkness surrounding them.

"Rescuers here, now?" Chase asked his voice already sounding excited. Cameron nodded before turning to wake up Wilson who was still sleeping soundly on the other side of her. It wasn't long before House and Cuddy were too awake and everyone was heading towards the voices. As Cameron passed through the doorway she felt a hand clasp over her mouth and begin to pull her down the dark corridor. She wiggled in her captor's grasp and bit at the hand covering her mouth, her capturer pulling it away long enough for her to yell for help. A door was opened and she was pushed out into the daylight where she could see her captor clearly. Alarm bells went off as a tall rugged man held a gun to her head and directed her far from the building that held those who she held nearest to her heart.

Alarmed at Cameron's cry for help House put his hand across Cuddy's mouth whispering for her to keep quiet as he kept her from moving through the doorway. House pulled Cuddy against the wall, Wilson following closely behind. They watched wide eyed as the form of two men walked into the room glancing into the darkness, the beam of the flashlight just missing their frozen figures, before turning around and leaving. House let out a sigh of relief as the small light from the hallway disappeared with the closing of the doorway leading to hell. It was now clear to him that the city was under attack.

Cameron struggled slightly to loosen the grip her captor had on her wrist until she noticed Chase was walking beside her being held prisoner as well. She relaxed at knowing that the man she truly loved would be at her side. Entering one of the many trails that led through the parks in Princeton, Cameron could feel herself growing increasingly uncomfortable as they walked further into the confinements of the trees. Without any warning at all a cloth was clamped roughly over her mouth. She struggled to stay awake but slowly she was pulled back into the world of darkness.

Chase awoke tied to a chair, his head still swimming in a fog. He noticed Cameron sitting across from him also tied to her chair, her chin touching her chest as she remained in a deep slumber. He scrunched up his nose in disgust when a pungent smell filled his nostrils. He looked to his right and noticed a deep pit filled with the many dead bodies of Princeton inhabitants. He wondered if Taub and Foreman were two of the bodies that lay sprawled in the hole next to him and knew that it was only a short amount of time before him and Cameron were laying inert in the large rocky grave as well.

Cameron felt herself coughing harshly as she slowly came to. As soon as she opened her eyes she blinked them shut again keeping the bright light out. She began to slowly open her eyes again so they could become accustomed to the light after being in hours of darkness. She noticed Chase tied to a chair across from her. She attempted to stand and untie him when she realized she too was tied to a hard, wooden chair. She felt a breeze kiss her cheeks and with it the stench of burnt flesh filled her nostrils. She turned her head towards her left and noticed the large grave of bodies. She turned her head rapidly to the right as she began to vomit realizing that the grave was also her fate.

They seemed to sit in the burning sun for hours before their captures returned baring two large syringes. Cameron gulped wondering what exactly filled the syringes. She watched as the first syringe was thrust into Chase's thoracic cavity before he was untied and tossed nonchalantly into the deep pit. She felt the tears burn in her eyes as they turned to her and plunged the syringe deep into her flesh.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D**_

**Chapter 8**

The first thing Cameron noticed when she was tossed into the deep pit was that she wasn't dead like she had expected to be. She then noticed the pile of dead bodies she was lying on and tried to scream but found herself unable to breathe. Panicked she put her hands to her throat and tried to breathe a deep full breath. She noticed Chase not two meters from her struggling as well. What had they done? "Air bubbles", Chase whispered through labored breathes. Realization dawned on Cameron as she comprehended that the syringes hadn't held any deadly drugs but instead air bubbles ensuring that they would suffer long painful deaths. The last thing she would taste and smell was burnt flesh, the last thing she would feel was the cold, dead body beneath her, the last thing she would hear was Chase's and her own struggling breathes and the last thing she would see was Chase dying. "I love you," she whispered barely audible as the pain of oxygen deprivation began to overcome her. She never got to hear Chase return the words as she sunk back into the world of unconsciousness forever.

Wilson sat around the miniature table staring blankly across the room, thinking about all that had happened in the past few days, none of it good. Well, he corrected himself, one thing was good; House and Cuddy's relationship had grown immensely. He turned his gaze to the floor where his two best friends were at last sleeping, exhaustion finally drowning them and pulling them under. Sleeping had already been difficult enough after losing Heather, but Thirteen's suicide had shaken House further and now Cameron and Chase seemed to be gone as well. Wilson watched attentively as Cuddy awoke moving a hand to her temples and began to rub them in an attempt to erase the headache that had been plaguing her the past few days, probably a side effect of dehydration since they had drank the final sips of the water bottle nearly two days ago. One more day without water and they would all die, he was certain. Wilson watched as House opened his eyes before removing Cuddy's hand from her temple replacing it with his own fingers moving them in soothing circles. Cuddy sighed approvingly before turning to face House and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Yes, their relationship has definitely improved Wilson thought nodding to himself in approval. He watched as Cuddy squinted her eyes shut probably to push back the pain in her head. He knew they had to leave now or else they would all die within a day; survival outside the building seemed much more probable now that their food and water supply had been gone for days. Wilson's eyes followed House as House stood and limped his way over to the small table obviously meant for children before sitting down beside Wilson.

"We are going to have to leave House; the chances of survival here just don't beat the odds anymore." Wilson looked at House awaiting a response but when House just continued to stare into space Wilson tried again.

"We will have to leave within the next few hours find somewhere with water and food." Wilson again waited for a reply but received none. "House?" House shifted his gaze to Wilson before answering, "probably safer to leave after night falls." Wilson nodded in agreement before looking at his watch, squinting through the dark room to read the numbers on his clock.

"Well it's 6 o'clock now it should be dark around 8:30 or nine so its probably safest to leave any time after 9:30."

"Nine thirty it is," House said turning his eyes back to Cuddy who was now moving towards them as well. The three of them began to plan their dangerous venture as they awaited twilight eagerly.

House watched as Wilson pushed the door open so slowly a snail could have slugged through the door without getting squashed. Although he was growing more impatient by the second House waited breathlessly as Wilson finally pushed the door open far enough to peer around it and into the darkness that had snaked its way over the treetops and across the ground, before stepping out into what House would consider freedom. House followed Wilson through the doorway cautiously letting out a sigh of relief when he wasn't shot the minute his foot touched the sidewalk. He eyed Cuddy protectively as she made her way out the door last even more precautious than House or Wilson had. He grabbed her hand in his and pulled her in between Wilson and himself as the three of them walked alongside each other through the darkness of the newly dawning night.

_**A/N: Sorry for any inaccuracies with the air bubbles and Chase and Cameron. Not sure if that would actually happen due to air bubbles but I had a hard time finding a drug that would. Thanks for reading…. Please review **___


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